Raised Bed Organic Gardening.

I am a big fan of raised beds, the kind you grow things in as well as the kind you sleep in. I hope, after reading the chapter on soil rehabilitation, the reader will have some idea of how difficult it is to garden the organic way in most of the soils he or she is likely to encounter. Depending on the rehabilitation methods employed, it may take years to render a sandy or heavy clay soil suitable for an organic garden. Even if one elects to remove the soil and replace it with decomposed organic material and earthworms castings, the process is going to be very labor intensive. A raised bed eliminates many, if not most, of these problems and, If you are faced with a very chalky soil, a raised bed may be the only practical way to establish an organic garden, or, for that matter, any garden. Similarly, if your garden area has a drainage problem a raised bed above ground level will solve the problem. Raised beds come in every size and shape imaginable and, thus, may be customized to accommodate any available space you might have for a small or large garden. Furthermore, several small raised beds can be arranged so that they are very attractive to the eye, a very important consideration for an organic garden. Finally, a garden surface area that in raised a foot and a half or so from the ground is much easier to work in than is a garden surface at ground level, an important physical factor for all of us as we grow older. Possibly the biggest disadvantage to raised bed gardens is the cost to buy or construct the structures. Depending of the size of a raised bed and how elaborate it is, the materials to build the structure can cost several hundred dollars. In addition, if you do not have a ready supply of decomposed organic material, it will cost a little more to fill it with suitable growing material. However, a raised bed can be constructed cheaply from used lumber, discarded bricks, old railroad ties or cement blocks, to name only a few of the possibilities available to a prospective organic gardener. Some manufactures sell raised beds with legs. These structures require a floor which increases their cost. Raised beds with legs invariably have very shallow beds which are not suitable for ideal plant growth; for this reason alone, I would avoid them. In this respect, a raised bed garden should have a minimum depth of 12 inches, a 18 inch deep bed would be better. I will not repeat the information provided in the chapter above with respect to what can be used to fill your instant raised bed organic garden. Just make sure that it contains at least 50% rotted manure and about 25% fresh earthworm castings. The remaining 25% can consist of regular garden compost, soil or some other organic material such as rotted leaves or decomposed grass clipping. Remember though, if you do not have a sufficient supply of aged manure you will have to increase the nutritional value of the mix by adding one or more of the organic fertilizers available to you at the local garden or feed store. better yet, make your own organic fertilizer by composting your organic house hold waste and newspapers with composting earthworms.